Tilandrean Doctrine
The Tilandrean Doctrine is the guide similar to the Glacium's Handbook, written not only for the Saffron Avis to have a functioning set of laws to abide by, but also so that any public militia has a fair, reasonable set of principles and traditions to uphold. It is meant to inform of the public and the soldiers both, of what a crime is in the borders of Tilandre, and give reasonable guidelines to punishment. The Doctrine is subject to reform assuming a rational argument is made against it. The text below is written as in-character perspective, so it's what you would typically find in your standard issue. Any OOC notes will be written brackets. Overview Foundings and Purpose The year is 784AC, Queen Victoria Eldor at the time is effectively ruler to the people of Tilandre after leave of King Lokus Ornstein. She is tasked with reviewing public legislation and creating a concise collection of laws to uphold. The Tilandrean Doctrine is an attempt to address important political issues of the time and set down a guideline for people to adhere to. It also makes public the Saffron's Oaths and acts as a means for the public to gain some general insight as to their duties. It addresses pertinent issues, depravity and occultism being amongst them and public liberties that should be upheld. It was also made to foster an air of equality, and personal responsibilities, where the actions of a person matter more than the history that surrounds them. The document came about after a time of necromancy, just before a plague was about to surface it was made apparent that Namarre Sakete was leading an undead force in the liberation of her native home from the clutches of Melym rule. As a response to this, the Glacium are sent to dispatch them. Along the way, the then current ruler of Nostvale was executed for treason, the armies of the village forced to march under the guise of propaganda, to which the east responded with hostility in fear for their own nation's security. The decision was made with an understanding that, given the dire times and Uriel Melym's history of conquest, as well as observations of the current village's military power -- that it would be more prudent to strike back the invading force to pre-emptively prevent an element that they did not trust, given the history. To Victoria's credit in her trust of Namarre, she agreed to not raise any of the dead within the caves. The Doctrine then acts as a way to support people questioning the motivations of the monarchy rather than immediate and outright rebellion or secession. It aims to avoid unnecessary bloodshed before it begins. Royal Trial In the event that the monarchy takes any actions which the public are uncertain of, a trial is undergone to ensure their credibility remains. If it is found that the ruling body has not acted in good faith of Tilandre, they're to willingly cede their position to avoid rebellion occurring. Failure to do so will result in such. The Gentleman's Duel In the case of slander or verbal abuse by one party, a person may elect to duel the other. If they refuse, and verbal harassment or slander continues, they are charged with a minor crime for each and every instance that this occurs. Essentially, "put up or shut up". In addition, the victors themselves are expected to honour their opponent's actions, or may also find themselves receiving infractions. Occultism / Depravity Occultism by itself is argued not to be a source of corrupted mana, that is, depraved energy by default. Darkness Magic by itself merely symbolizes destruction. Destruction is not inherently good, nor evil, unlike depravity which is more often than not inherently immoral in nature. In light of this argument by Ed Jinseer, occultism has been made legal, as the magic itself is currently non-attributable to negative impacts on the world... but rather, the negative acts which many occultists may be prone to do by way of allowing themselves to be corrupted. Sin Magic on the other hand is widely known and accepted to be evil. It is immoral, it causes damage to the world in the form of bad luck which can even be serious enough to kill -- it causes natural disasters such as plagues, and as such, the idols of sin are both shunned and considered to ultimately be immoral, by definition. Because of the nature of sin magic, in that it becomes the most important thing in the user's life, morals of the user are always skewed towards selfishness. All instances of sin magic are proof of folly in excess; though the option to cleanse them remains instead of execution, if the person can truly be redeemed. Necromancy is a subject of debate because the nature of wanting to live forever is not inherently evil. It is merely something which does not fit with the designs of the world, it causes damage because of a flaw in Kraus' creation; due to the amount of harm that raised souls can cause however it is still considered an illegal form of magic, until such times when it does not cause grandiose environmental impacts on the world. One may make the argument that the amount of good that one can achieve may outweigh the negatives with the use of this magic, such an example was when the oscuri necromancer effectively used it in self-defence against Danarium's forces, at Alteros. Ultimately, all of these magics are considered tools, occultism does not equate to an inherently immoral, and thus, evil source of corruption in the world. Depravity does, and necromancy remains ambiguous in moral goodness. For this reason, some instances of necromancy may undergo trial, or as the oscuri put it... "vindication" by a human judge so as to remain hopefully much less bias. Occultists are tried given they actually commit crimes, like any other person. Sin has recently been shown to not be incurable. Zahile Sakete became proof of this, after the sin of greed was vanquished from his soul. Freedom of Religion Freedom of belief is the norm. Those that wish to believe in any religion may do so, however they are entirely responsible for any actions that they, as a person, undertake. Cults that are based around causing harm to people are considered illegal, especially if their beliefs are acted upon -- those wishing to have faith in Azrael are free to do so, for as long as they do not pose harm to the people around them, or use their religions as justification for any criminal acts. On the contrary, people are also free to question their religious choice as well if they so please. Those found to have no reasonable backing for their beliefs are publicly told to accept it. Lashing out for a crisis of faith or implied heresies are treated with extreme prejudice. Queen Victoria Eldor made a statement on this matter: "If their religion is reasonable, it must be able to be defended reasonably." Along with this she then took the initiative herself in some discourse to pass on another: "Azrael's ideas were notable. A world with no sickness, a world in which people may live forever. An idea spoiled by crusade. An idea ruined by not allowing the people a choice in the matter. An idea that Kraus' reality is unable to support. The question remains on whether reality could be fixed... Lysterg Amori was proof that humanity has the ability to change the world in which it exists." She then goes on to say that the idea one needs to kill in order to achieve what Azrael wishes is false: "People are going to end up that way from natural causes in the end. Is there really any need to accelerate that process?" Military The Oath Every Saffron upon recruitment into any rank from fledgling upward is to receive their armour, after undertaking an oath. The punishment for not upholding this oath is imprisonment for the remainder of their oath's duration, that is, assuming they have two years left on their obligations they will receive two years imprisonment for failing to uphold it. Trying to avoid this knowingly, results in harsher punishments that are left up to the judgement of a Hawk or superior ranking member of the Saffron Avis. Saffron's Oath: I have, upon taking this Oath of fealty, sworn myself to protect and serve the interests of Tilandre, and by extension it's ruling body; the crown. I will act in good faith, hold myself with integrity and become the example by which my peers will aspire to be alike. I will stand against any evil, or any body that has been deemed unjust in the name of myself, and of the people I have sworn to serve. By the will of the crown, and all of those who support it, I shall fight through any fears, to see that justice is done. I shall not give in to anger, and I shall always do whatever it takes to act with reason. In trust of upholding my oath, I will accept any punishment that the King, or Queen of Tilandre feels is adequate upon seeing my actions. And I ask that those at home, who I wish to defend be they family, friends, lovers or otherwise in Tilandre, understand that I have pledge my loyalties in the interests of protecting them with my life, my honour, and steel. Rankings Tilandre's military and policing force are one in the same, as such, they have been given rank with appropriate responsibilities for each. Superiors naturally overrule the authority of their subordinates. King / Queen The Royal family holds equal say, the King has no more authority to speak upon matters than the Queen, and it is expected of the leadership to come to a common ground before any decision is passed. All decisions which effect the security of Tilandre's population, and its holdings ultimately fall to the leader. They have the final say on all matters which cannot be resolved by the lower ranks, they alone hold the power to overrule a court decision, and so act as the final person by which any appeal can be made to within the borders of Tilandre. They are the only ones which may declare war. Gryphon The Gryphons serve as court magistrates, generals, and direct advisory to the King and Queen. They are expected to oversee orders of execution, if they deem that a threat cannot be resolved under any other circumstances. They are expected to be Tilandre's finest warriors, and tacticians. Hawk A Hawk is an esteemed rank that has proven themselves loyal to Tilandre, just, and capable. They are expected to be fine examples of squad leaders and ferocious in battle. They are to be able to demonstrate discipline in all political matters, and uphold themselves in a way that is deemed appropriate abroad and at home so they their peers can use them as examples to better themselves. For this reason, a Hawk must have pride, they must know themselves and be able to show a level of maturity and experience that proves their integrity. Eagle The eagles have served their two years and shown themselves to have good judgement. An eagle is a fledgling who has shown initiative to better themselves, and is marked as being a person of good potential. Most importantly, they have shown they have an understanding of Tilandre, the Doctrine, and their oaths. Fledgling The ideal fledgling is one who shows the initiative to better themselves and ultimately takes pride in their ability to stick to their oath of fealty. Only the promising recruits have hope of rising up in the ranks. Eutrice Castle The Eutrice castle acts as the courthouse for capital offences, royal home, the barracks of the Hawks and their superiors as well as the main body of knowledge within the borders of Tilandre. To the south of the castle is the barracks, which also serve as the crime report centre and general staging area of the Saffron Avis troops. These two locations are both on the central southern area of the village itself, towards the shoreline, with the docks to the east and large training arena to the west. Daily Duties Ruler -- These oversee the integrity of their village and approve any official documentation which results in changes to existing legislation. They have the final say as lawmakers, and also hold absolute power over other infrastructure pertinent to the security of the village. Their time is scheduled to ensure efficiency, ideally meetings with rulers should be booked by letter. Gryphon -- These act as court magistrates and major judges of intent. Their rulings on crimes after hearing cases are respected, they inform the crown of any issues regarding Tilandre's security, and handle cases that even involve capital punishment. Their word is only superseded by the rulers, whom have been entrusted by the people with their power. In times of war, they serve as generals. Hawk -- The Hawks are the leaders of the policing force and squads consisting of eagles and fledglings. They're expected to deal with high risk missions, ensure the safety and success of their subordinates, and be able to make good judgement calls. They also oversee training, and are to ensure that the recruits below them are doing well, and taking initiative. For this reason, a Hawk is often an aspiring leader. Eagle -- The Eagle is a respected member of the community, they are the main protecting body of the Saffron. They're recognized as capable individuals and oath keepers, and revered as the breadwinners, the heroes of Tilandre that set the bar for excellence as a person with honour. They handle patrols, enforce the laws of the village, and ideal candidates that wish to become a Hawk will try to seek ways to enable the people themselves by forming militia groups and educating them of the morals by which their society can exist. Fledgling -- The fledgling candidate is expected to uphold their oaths, foremost, and ensure they're physically fit to advance in the ranks of the Saffron. They follow the orders of their superiors, and, as a general rule are considered to be the 'cadets' of the military and policing force. The rank the weeds out the children from the adults. Crime types and punishment An eagle is able to enforce minor sentences, only a Hawk may issue major sentences, a Gryphon may enforce death penalties and the ruling body is the only one that is able to issue a declaration of war. All sentences may be appealed, those found to be appealing their sentences without just cause may find they're made more harsh. The good judgement of the enforcer is being called into question upon an appeal, as such, record may be kept in the future that could sway the decision on whether to promote them or not. Minor crimes typically result in community service and/or a fine. If a person is unable to pay a fine, they will work it off in community service. If a person has committed multiple crimes, they will stack and result in a harsher penalty. These crimes are listed within the Doctrine which all citizens are encouraged to read and comprehend. Upon entering Tilandre's borders, you are expected to understand the laws. As the laws are viewed as reasonable, you are still charged for a crime regardless of being aware that it exists or not. However, it is publicly available at any board, home, public business, and of course the government bodies. If proven to be acting in self-defence, any and all prosecution is void. Depending on the crime you can ask for bail. It may be refused at the discretion of the judge. Minor Crimes These crimes are often dealt with a small fine of 10'000 to 100'000 crowns, minor sentencing in community service of up to a month, and imprisonment that lasts several weeks. It is up to the Saffron Avis to decide what they feel is most fitting, based on the situation. Theft: Stealing from market stalls, pick pocketing and related crimes. Indecent Exposure: Intentionally revealing genitals in public view. Hiding Face: May result in a search by any Saffron at their discretion. It is not required, but is good practice. Slander: Slander is considered making accusations of a person with no evidences or justification. Rumour spreading is not policed, however any damages that occur to Tilandre for one's words are to be taken into consideration. The voice is considered a tool that can be misused. Continued slander after a Gentleman's Duel will result in harsher judicial punishments. Resisting arrest: You can ask if you're under arrest, if you are, it's advised that to avoid wasting official's time that you comply and see that your business is dealt with in a timely fashion. Verbal abuse: Excessive verbal abuse may lead to hostilities. Those found to be enticing unrest repeatedly may be fined for disturbing the peace. As with slander, this can be resolved without the need for Saffron interference with a gentlemanly duel. Minor Assault: A stray punch is a sure way to earn yourself a hefty fine. Medium Crimes Up to a year sentence in the dungeon, 300'000+ crown fines, public flogging, and stocks, or even exile. Resisting Arrest: Not allowing a Saffron Avis to escort to the dungeon for questioning, by physically refusing or lashing out verbally. Assault: Causing serious physical harm. Depending on the severity, this may be classed as a major crime. Grand Theft: The theft of an item that is especially high value, typically conducted through an elaborate scheme, such as burglary. Depravity: Displays of sin magic in particular result in imprisonment. Since the discovery that sin magi can be cleansed of their depraved nature, summary execution is now a last option. Cults: Those religions found to be inciting harm on others are considered illegal and an affront to the peace in Tilandre. Leaders face immediate exile, in some cases it can be considered a major criminal offence. Major Crimes Up to lifelong dungeon stays, death penalty, and public execution. Treason: Acts against the crown, circumstances dictate the severity of punishment, death is the most extreme in the case of open rebellion or attempted murder. Murder: Intentionally killing a person. Depending on the reasoning and evidence, this can result in a life-long imprisonment, and at least several years. May be execution if the murder was especially unjust. Rebellion: A rebellion is defined by armed resistance to the ruling body. While it is in every person's best interest and responsibility to ensure that the integrity of the village is kept, and not just the ruler's, it is ill-advised and punishable by death to incite a rebellion that is ultimately costly to Tilandre; those found to be foregoing rational discussion with the leaders or those found to be unreasonable; neglecting the lives of their peers for their own personal gains... are summarily executed. Jail Break: Attempting to break out of a sentence or attempting to break others out, by force. The punishment is typically execution. Category:Culture Category:Law